Renew your IHCAM membership today! Our membership renewal period runs from April 1 to March 31. Ensure your continued access to valuable resources, advocacy efforts, and networking opportunities within the faith-based healthcare community.
Your membership strengthens our collective voice and allows us to continue advocating for faith-based healthcare. Renew now and be part of another impactful year with IHCAM!
Please download membership application/renewal form here: membership form
As we mark 30 years of advancing spiritual health, it’s important to reflect on why spiritual care remains essential in today’s healthcare. A 2016 white paper by the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network™, Spiritual Care: What It Means and Why It Matters in Health Care, outlines compelling research linking spiritual well-being to improved health outcomes, greater patient satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs.
Spirituality and Patient-Centered Care
The report emphasizes that spirituality is a dynamic and intrinsic aspect of humanity, encompassing meaning, purpose, and connection. For many patients—regardless of religious affiliation—spirituality influences how they cope with illness, make medical decisions, and navigate loss.
Healthcare systems across North America are increasingly moving toward patient-centered models, which recognize that physical health cannot be separated from emotional and spiritual well-being. The report reminds us that chaplaincy and spiritual care services offer essential support for patients, families, and healthcare providers alike.
Evidence-Based Impact
The paper outlines decades of research showing the positive impact of spiritual care on:
Patient satisfaction and trust
Emotional resilience and pain management
Mental health and reduced anxiety
Lower healthcare costs, including fewer aggressive interventions at end-of-life
Spiritual distress—often experienced in hospitals or during serious illness—is associated with higher pain levels, depression, and even mortality. Board-certified chaplains are uniquely trained to provide emotional and spiritual care, offering both presence and practical interventions to support healing.
The Role of Chaplains
Far beyond bedside prayers, today’s board-certified chaplains are skilled professionals trained to assess spiritual distress, provide multi-faith support, and collaborate with healthcare teams to improve outcomes. Their role is especially vital in palliative and end-of-life care, where quality of life and meaning-making become top priorities.
As a faith-based health association, IHCAM has long advocated for integrating spiritual health into healthcare systems. This white paper reinforces what we know: spiritual care enhances well-being, supports healthcare providers, and saves costs while improving outcomes.
We encourage you to read the full report and consider how your facility can continue—or begin—to embed spiritual care as a vital part of your health services.
To read the full white paper report, click here: Why Spiritual Care Matters
Park Manor Expands with 90 New Beds in $72M Investment
Exciting news for Manitoba’s long-term care sector! Park Manor Personal Care Home is set to undergo a $72 million expansion, adding 90 much-needed beds to its facility. This major development will help address the increasing demand for long-term care services in the region, providing better access and enhanced care for seniors.
A Commitment to Quality Care
This expansion aligns with the province’s ongoing efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure and ensure more Manitobans have access to quality long-term care. The additional 90 beds will not only reduce wait times but also enhance living conditions for residents and families seeking care solutions.
Park Manor has long been a cornerstone of compassionate, faith-based care, and this investment reaffirms its role as a leader in Manitoba’s long-term care network. With the province prioritizing elder care, this expansion signifies a step forward in strengthening senior care services.
What This Means for the Community
Increased Capacity: More beds mean greater accessibility for families looking for long-term care options.
Enhanced Services: Improved facilities ensure better quality of life for residents.
Job Creation: The expansion will lead to more employment opportunities in healthcare.
This expansion is part of Manitoba’s broader commitment to long-term care improvements, ensuring that facilities like Park Manor can continue providing high-quality services for years to come.
For more details, read the full story: Winnipeg Free Press.
Read the latest updates here: newsletters
This year, the Interfaith Health Care Association of Manitoba (IHCAM) celebrates a milestone that resonates far beyond numbers: 30 years of bridging faith and healthcare to uplift communities. Since 1995, IHCAM has embodied a vision where compassion transcends boundaries, collaboration sparks innovation, and faith fuels hope.
A Legacy Rooted in Unity
IHCAM was born from a bold idea: that healthcare is not just a service but a sacred calling, enriched by the diversity of faith traditions. Over three decades, this belief has grown into a movement. By uniting faith communities, advocating for equitable care, and addressing gaps in health services, IHCAM has become a cornerstone of support for Manitobans—especially those often overlooked.
Stories That Define Us
While statistics mark progress—30 years of programs, partnerships, and policy strides—the heart of IHCAM’s legacy lies in the lives transformed. Picture the young family who found solace in a culturally sensitive care program, the senior who regained independence through a faith-based wellness initiative, or the interfaith coalition that turned dialogue into action during a public health crisis. These stories are not just milestones; they are testaments to the power of collective goodwill.
The Road Ahead
As we honour this anniversary, we recognize that the journey is far from over. Healthcare disparities persist, and new challenges emerge. Yet IHCAM’s resolve remains unshaken. Grounded in faith and driven by compassion, we continue to adapt, innovate, and advocate—because every Manitoban deserves care that honours their dignity, culture, and humanity.
You are invited to be part of this story. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to our mission, your voice matters.
???? Explore our journey: Dive into IHCAM’s history, milestones, and vision.
???? Get involved: Discover volunteer opportunities, events, and ways to contribute to our next chapter.
???? Share your story: How has IHCAM touched your life? Your experiences inspire others to join this cause.
Together, we can ensure the next 30 years are defined by even deeper compassion, bolder collaboration, and unwavering faith in the power of community.
Here’s to the past that shaped us, the present that drives us, and the future we’ll build—side by side.
The Interfaith Healthcare Association of Manitoba (IHCAM) recently held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), gathering members and stakeholders from across the province. The event celebrated the organization’s accomplishments over the past year and set an ambitious vision for the future. This year’s AGM was particularly momentous, with the announcement of new leadership and a thought-provoking keynote address by a leading voice in spiritual health.
The AGM ushered in a new era for IHCAM with the election of Abednigo Mandalupa as Chair and Angela Peeler as Treasurer.
Outgoing leaders were celebrated for their dedication and contributions, leaving the organization in a strong position for continued growth.
The highlight of the AGM was the keynote speech delivered by Doug Longstaffe, Director of Spiritual Health and Multicultural Services at Vancouver Coastal Health. His address, "The Role of Spiritual Care in Humanizing Healthcare," captivated attendees and reinforced the importance of integrating spiritual health into all aspects of patient care.
Key points from Doug’s address included:
The full transcript of Doug Longstaffe’s keynote speech
Good morning. I'll try to do my best today. I kind of have an open canvas here, so I might go in a few different directions. I was talking with Gladys who was very sweet, and we tried to figure out what might resonate best with you, so I'll do my best. I just want to say I was involved in multifaceted circles – I was on the Catholic Health Board as sort of an honorary Gentile back then, what was it, the 1990s, early 2000s. Wilmar was there then, and Bob Gerard, some of you might remember him, and they were good people. I really enjoyed working with them.
My heart is in Manitoba in many ways because I grew up there, so I think what you folks are doing as chief executive officers or chief operating officers, or whatever leadership role you have, is extremely important. You have a huge impact on the organization and the people who work with you. I'll sort of go through that from the perspective of what I've seen as a spiritual health practitioner and as the director of spiritual care in a number of places. I've been a direct report to some amazing people, like Vivian Eliopoulos, CEO, here at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, who is an incredible leader. I don’t say that lightly – she truly is an amazing individual. Her leadership makes a real difference right up to the front lines.
Part of my role has often been to serve as an advisor to people in positions of power about matters that others might not be able to address in quite the same way. My background as a minister in the United Church of Canada allowed me to understand what it was like to lead an organization, even if it was a church, and to work with a board and volunteers. This experience gives one a certain empathy for those in power, a sense of the weight they carry, which sparked my interest in organizational development.
My involvement in politics outside of my professional work has at times been party based but the most important political context for me crosses over all party lines as it is about humanizing institutions. At Seven Oaks Hospital, we focused a lot on mission, vision and values, and we became a top 100 employer in Canada. That’s where you all have tremendous opportunity, I believe.
So, what makes you folks special? You are both ordinary and special at the same time. The great psychoanalyst Alfred Adler emphasized that we are ‘all ordinary and ever special,’ and that’s true of you as well. You each represent a religious body and a governing body, unless things have changed. You’re leading communities, rooted in religion, and religion has many rules as well as a kind of bureaucracy of its own. That part is kind of ordinary. But within all that, there’s also opportunity for the development of community within the institutions and that is indeed special.
Each of you have employees who rely on you to guide them in serving the mission of your organization. As leaders, you’re tasked with thinking about politics – both big P politics and small p politics. For instance, I’ve been talking recently with my program team about the state of American politics and its impact on patient and staff mental well-being. People are worried, and it’s affecting Canadian organizations. That’s a relevant area of spiritual health for us. Spending time with CEOs over many years as a direct report has shown me how much leaders value understanding the real pulse of the organization, at all times, but especially during times of challenge.
If you have spiritual health practitioners on your team, I encourage you to discuss the ethos of the organization with them and ask their perspective on what’s happening on the ground. Spiritual health practitioners are uniquely positioned to offer insights into the ‘esprit de corps’ and community within the organization. They have a perspective on what’s being lived out and whether the values of the organization are truly being reflected.
Both your work as CEOs, and the work of Spiritual Care Practitioners, touch on many things, such as the connection between religion, community, and spirituality. Religion has teachings that might differ from one to the next, but when it comes to care, what matters is how values guide the way. You’re not leading a religious school, you’re not teaching doctrine, but rather aiming to reflect spiritually inspired values through actions in your institution. When someone walks into a Catholic hospital, or a Baptist long-term care center, or whatever faith-based organization it might be, they should sense a distinct atmosphere, an approach driven by values.
So, let your spiritual health practitioners support you in fostering that, in building community and addressing spirituality in a way that impacts the ground level – where nurses work with patients, where decisions are made with healthcare teams. Having a philosophy, or a theology, especially in healthcare, is essential because what you believe about systems affects the care you provide. Systems naturally trend towards dehumanization, so there’s a need to counterbalance that with the humanization that comes through community. Systems can provide medical services but only people can form healing communities of care within institutions.
And remember, you have something distinctly valuable. In British Columbia, for instance, other health authorities are often compared with Providence, a Catholic healthcare network. Providence frequently rates highly in government surveys because people feel well-treated there. It’s essential that every political party asks if something is cost-effective, popular, and the right thing to do. Faith-based healthcare often meets all three: it’s cost-effective, popular, and the right thing to do. This approach is often well-liked, even by those outside any faith tradition, because people sense that values matter within those institutions.
There’s a humanizing effect you all bring to the system, an antidote to the tendency of institutions to dehumanize. People don’t want to feel like just a number. Faith-based healthcare provides choice in a culturally diverse environment, and people appreciate having that option.
I’ll close with this: your spiritual care practitioners are leaders. They should see themselves as leaders within each hospital or long-term care center, having power not only to provide care, but also to advance the mission. I’m so glad some of you did not give up your boards when pressures came years ago. Boards offer a perspective beyond the bureaucracy – they remind us of the raison d’etre of the community. Your Spiritual Care Practitioners can do much to advance the mission of your boards, because they are people who understand the relationship between a philosophy or a theology and care delivery. Also, as people steeped in a values based relational approach to care, they know how to foster the community needed to actualize the mission.
Recently, a CEO of a large health authority told chaplains at a national convention of spiritual care practitioners “ be bold, we need your voice.’ This is where your work as CEOs is essential. You have a unique vantage point to advocate for care that matters deeply to individuals at very poignant moments in their lives. This makes your work quite sacred.
Thank you for listening, and if there are any questions, I’m happy to engage.”
Spiritual Health Awareness Week 2024 Celebrated with Proclamation and Province-Wide Events